


Strategic Shift

by china_shop



Category: White Collar
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Stakeout
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-05-10 12:15:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5585059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/china_shop/pseuds/china_shop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even Peter had to admit the evening had ranked as one of the least eventful stakeouts in White Collar history.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strategic Shift

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sherylyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sherylyn/gifts).



> Many thanks to mergatrude for beta.

It was nine-thirty-eight, and given Neal had been uncharacteristically quiet for the last half hour, Peter thought it was a good thing Diana and Jones were due to show up at ten to relieve them. To be fair, even Peter had to admit the evening had ranked as one of the least eventful stakeouts in White Collar history. If he were less professional, he’d be distracted too.

He nudged the roller on Neal’s chair with his foot. “You still awake there?”

“Peter.”

“Mm?”

Neal pushed his headphones back and swiveled to face him. “I've decided to make a strategic shift in my career.”

“You're going to stop stealing things?” Peter raised a lazily skeptical eyebrow. Or, at least, that was the intention. Neal’s answering grin suggested the message had got mixed in transmission.

“I'm only going to steal intangibles,” said Neal smugly. “That way, I can't get caught with the evidence.”

Peter narrowed his eyes. ‘Intangibles’ was vague—there was still plenty of scope for illegal activity. “What kind of intangibles?”

“This kind.” Neal leaned across the foot and a half that separated them, and pressed his mouth to Peter’s in a kiss. It lasted only a second or two, but it was warm and undeniable, and Peter flushed all over, his skin prickling with heat and awareness. He swallowed.

“Neal.” It came out as a warning croak. Like a stern frog.

Neal hadn’t retreated very far, was watching him with dark eyes. “For what it’s worth, Elizabeth said it was okay.”

“She did?” Peter cleared his throat, and then blinked and shifted focus from the shape of Neal’s lips to what he’d actually said. “Wait, when did you talk to Elizabeth about this?”

“While I was on the coffee run earlier.” Neal’s voice was mesmerizing too.

Peter could feel his own heart thumping like it was trying to beat some sense into him, but he ignored it. Of course Neal had conspired with El. She’d probably egged him on, since she knew how long Peter had wanted this, and knew equally well that he couldn’t initiate anything, given his position. If Peter had wanted to play safe, he should have found a way to prevent the two of them from communicating. As if he could.

Anyway, he didn’t want to play safe, not really. Not if Neal wanted him too. He sighed, pleased, mildly aroused, but also a little exasperated. “You didn't think maybe we should talk about it first?”

“Nope.” Neal put his hand on Peter’s arm, smiled—not his conman grin, but a real, warm, hopeful smirk—and leaned across until their mouths were only a breath apart, and Peter could have counted every one of his eyelashes. “If we’d talked first,” Neal murmured, the words tickling Peter’s waiting lips, “it wouldn't be stealing.”

 

END


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